The 18th Century Is Alive and Well on This Sunken Ship Turned Art Gallery

Andreas Franke’s series Sinking World  is not coming to a gallery near you. In fact, it’s exclusively exhibited 30 miles off of the coast of Key West, Florida, and a scuba license is required to see the works. These images will stay submerged for several months on a sunken ship, the SS Stavronikita. As the images stay underwater, they gain a crust of ocean life. As Franke states on his website, “sealife enrobes the images, gives them colorful frames and an organic patina. The signature of the ocean, entirely inimitable.”

The subjects of Franke’s photos depict French Revolution-esque bourgeoise playing on a sunken ship not unlike the SS Stavronikita, and the viewer gets submerged along with them. Though the experience of swimming alongside these decadent images is a separate experience in itself, take a gander of Sinking World below:

Marie

All Together

Picnic for Three

Sweet Babette

Marie and Claudette

Marie and Mathis

Menuet

Jules in Love

Disenchantment of Jules

Babette on Pascal

Mathis and Gerard

Learn more about Sinking World on the website here.

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